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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. ground — a position
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. fall — to drop
  6. court — for sport
  7. court — of law
  8. track — a path
  9. track — a song
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. fall — the season
  13. ground — crushed
  14. ground — the earth
  15. fall — to drop
  16. root — the cause
  17. track — to keep track
  18. court — of a king
  19. bulb — for light
  20. fine — all right
  21. root — of a plant
  22. bulb — for light
  23. root — of a word
  24. fine — high quality

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com